Fast reviews of movies and more

Hostiles (2018)

Gist: In 1892, a US Army captain who hates and has killed many Indians is ordered to escort a sick Indian chief from prison in New Mexico to die at home in western Montana. Lots of bad things happen along the way.

I cry all the time, at movies, books, TV shows, quotes, random memories. I didn’t feel so much as a twitch during this movie, mainly because for every one of 135 minutes it was screaming at me “Be sad! Be SAD, you heartless monster!!”

Christian Bale’s laconic, haunted vet has done unspecified cruelties, but the worst I see him do is be rude. On screen, he’s nearly always kind, which makes the redemption arc fall flat. Same goes for his forced counterpart, Wes Studi’s Chief Yellowhawk.

Forced plot points: I lost count of the irrational decisions and illogical circumstances that merely serve to push the plot along!

Conclusion: I would love for more movies to explore honestly what Americans did to Native Americans, but this one skips a stone on the surface, mostly mutes the Indians, and substitutes grief for substance.

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